Letter-file



(No Model.)

0. E. JEWEL-L.

v LETTER FILE. No; 470,050. Patented Man-1, I892;

UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

CIIARLEs EDWIN JEwELL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIs, ASSIGNOR To THE OFFICESPECIALTY MANUFACTURING COMPANY, on NEW YORK.

LETTER-FILE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 470,050, dated March 1,1892. Application filed November 6, 1890. Serial No 370,509- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES EDWIN JEW- ELL, of Chicago, in the county ofCook and State of Illinois, have invented certain Improvements inLetter-Files, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of letterfiles in which there areupright arches or arched wires to receive the perforated edges of thesheets and in which each arch is composed of two parts separable at willin order to permit the application and removal of the sheets. As thesefiles are ordinarily constructed the arches are secured in an uprightposition to a base plate or support occupying considerable room andrendering it impossible to pack the file in compact shape for storage ortransportation.

My invention relates to an improved construction which admits of thearches being folded down bodily upon the base-plate and also includesmeans for automatically looking the arches when they are turned upwardto a positive position.

I am aware that a file has been constructed in which the two parts ofeach arch were independently hinged and arranged to turn down indifferent directions upon the base,

and this I do not claim. Under my improved construction each arch as awhole is adapted to fold downward without separation of its members.This feature, as well as the'production of an automatic locking deviceto hold the arch or a member of an arch in an upright position, Ibelieve to be original with myself.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is aperspective view of an archedletter-file containing my improvement, one arch being shown in operativeand the other in its folded position. Figs. 2 and 3 are side views of anarch in different forms adapted to co operate with the locking device.Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are perspective views showing various equivalent waysof mounting and sustaining the arch. Fig. 7 is a cross-section on theline 7 7 of Fig. 6.

Referring to Fig. 1, A represents a fiat baseplate, of metal or othersuitable material, and B B the two filing-arches. These arches may beconstructed of one or more parts united in any suitable manner, providedthey present, essentially, the form herein-shown, and are adapted to beopened to. permit the application and removal of the sheets. In the formshown each arch consists of a single wire having a horizontal baseportion 1), the vertical filing-arm rising at one end, and thetransferwire I) rising from the opposite end and returnedin a downwarddirection, so that its end may interlock at b with the upper end of thefiling-arm. One of the ends may be pointed and seated in a cavity in theother, as shown, or they may be arranged to interlock in any othermanner which will permit their ready separation, this feature beingcommon in the art in various forms. Each arch has its horizontal portionor journal I) seated in a sleeve or bearing a, lying across the end ofthe basepiate, so that the arch may be turned to anupright position, asshown on the left hand in Fig. 1, or folded down, as shown on the righthand in the same figure. The arches thus mounted may be used without alocking device to retain them in position; but I prefer to provide meansfor holding them erect.

Fig. 1 represents the preferred means for this purpose, consisting ofelastic tongues (J, punched upward out of the bed-plate and perforatedto engage projections 6 formed on the journals of the arches. Theseprojections may be produced by bending the wire of the arch, as shown inFig. 2, orby applying astud or pin to the wire, as shown in Fig. 3, oroth erwise formed, the only essential requirement beingthat the arch andthe spring shall engage or interlock when the arch is raised to theoperative position. The sleeves a, in which the arches are mounted orjournaled, are preferably formed integral with the baseplate by curvingits ends inward in the manner shown in the drawings.

In the form shown in Fig. 4 the arch is of essentially the sameconstruction as in Figs. 1 and 2 and is mounted in the sleeves a on theend of the base-plate, so that it may fold down sidewise. Instead ofbeing locked by means shown in Fig. l the journal of the arch isarranged to slide endwise through the sleeves, which are provided withnotches a so that when the arch is pushed to one side the projection awill enter one of the notches shown in Fig. 4, and the arch will be heldfirmly in position.

In Fig. 5 the arch, instead of being made in one piece, has itshorizontal journal divided at the middle and the two ends bentlaterally, as shown at a The sleeves ct are provided with notches a andthe arch made of elastic material under tension, so that when turned toan upright position its lower ends will spring apart and cause the armsa to engage in the notches of the sleeves and thus hold the arch in anerect position, as shown. By compressing the arch edgewise, as indicatedby the arrows, the ends a are carried out of the notches, thus releasingthe arch so that it may be folded down in the same manner as in thepreceding examples.

In Fig. (3 the arch is made in one piece, as in Figs. 1 and 2, butwithout the projection on its journal. The journal is mounted in thesleeve on the base-plate, as in the preceding examples, and is locked bya spring-(log C, fixed to the outside of the sleeve, having one end atrightangles to pass through a hole in the sleeve and in the journal ofthe arch, as shown in Fig. 7. By withdrawing the end of the spring thearch is released, so that it may be folded, as shown in dotted lines.

Having thus described my invention,what I claim is- 1.. In aletter-lile,the combination of a base or support, a filing-arch hinged thereto tofold down bodily, and an automatic locking device to sustain the arch inan upright position.

2. In a letter-file, the combination. of a base or support, afiling-arch having'a supportingjournal mounted on the base-plate toadmit of the arch being folded down, and a springlatch engaging saidjournal to maintain the arch in an operative position.

3. In a letter-file, the combination ofa filingarch having a journal I),with projection b", and a base-plate having one portion clasped aroundthe journal to serve as abearing therefor and another and elasticportion to engage said projection and lock the arch in position.

4. In a letter-file, the combination, with a base or support, of twofiling-arches hinged to opposite ends thereof and means forautomatically sustaining them in upright operative positions,substantially as described.

5. In a letter-file, a base-plate, in combination with two filing-archeshinged to its opposite ends to fold down flatwise, each as an entirety.

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand, this 11th day of September,1890, in the presence of two attesting witnesses.

CHARLES EDWIN JEWELL.

\Vitnesses:

W. E. GALLANT, II. G. Looms.

